MANSFIELD, Mass. - Three student-athletes from the nationally-ranked No. 8 Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team headlined the Northeast-10's annual All-Conference release as major award winners, the league announced on Monday afternoon. Senior
Nick Larsen (Northborough, Mass.) was named the league's Co-Player of the Year, while Graduate Student
Ryan Slattery (North Andover, Mass.) picked up his third straight Defensive Player of the Year award and fifth-year
Craig Yannone (Lynnfield, Mass.) was named the Faceoff Specialist of the Year.
It is just the second time in program history that Saint Anselm has collected three major awards in the same season. In addition to the trio of major award winners for the Hawks, 10 student-athletes were chosen to All-Conference rosters. Larsen. Slattery, and Yannone were accompanied by senior
Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass.) on the league's First Team. Fifth-year
Jack Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) and seniors
Jonathan Holland (Derry, N.H.) and
Noah Larsen (Northborough, Mass.) were picked to the conference's Second Team. Sophomores
Chris Claflin (Newton, Mass.) and
Colby Goodchild (Reading, Mass.) were selected to the Third Team, while freshman
Jake Klepacki (East Longmeadow, Mass.) was an All-Rookie Team pick.
Saint Anselm was tied with Adelphi University for the most players selected to the All-Conference teams (10 total). The four First Team selections for the Hawks was second-most behind only Adelphi, who had five. All-Conference teams were comprised of three attackmen, three midfielders, three defenders, two short stick defensive midfielders (SSDM), one long stick midfielder (LSM), one faceoff specialist, and one goaltender. Additional members included on the all-conference teams are the results of ties in voting.
Nick Larsen earns Co-Player of the Year alongside Adelphi goaltender Dylan Renner. It is the first time in program history that a Saint Anselm student-athlete has received this recognition. Larsen finished the regular season second on the team in both goals (21) and points (40). His 19 assists led the squad and was ninth-most in the NE10 and his 40 points was tied for 13th. The senior midfielder, who was an All-Conference Second Team selection and a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-America Third Team pick a season ago, set a new career-high with five goals in a win at nationally-ranked Mercyhurst University earlier this spring.
Slattery becomes just the second player in NE10 men's lacrosse history and first in program history to three-peat as the league's Defensive Player of the Year. The graduate student led one of the top defensive units in the nation this spring that allowed the third-fewest total goals in all of NCAA Division II. Slattery led the Hawks with a team-high 19 caused turnovers, a metric that also cracked the top 10 in the conference. The two-time USILA First Team All-American scooped up 20 ground balls across his 12 starts so far this spring.
Yannone has won the first-ever NE10Â
Faceoff Specialist of the Year award following a career season on the Hilltop. His 71.2 win percentage was far and away a career-best and set a new single-season program record. He also became the program's all-time leader in faceoff win percentage. The fifth-year senior, who surpassed 500 career
faceoff wins this season, ranked third nationally while constantly facing top competition in a league that boasts four of the top 16
faceoff performers in NCAA Division II. Additionally,
Yannone leads the team with a single-season career best 94 ground balls. He matched his career-best with 23
faceoff wins in a victory over American International and later went 18-for-19 from the X against No. 4 Adelphi. He is now the program's all-time career leader in faceoff wins (566), faceoff percentage (.600), and ground balls (317).
Davis, who transferred to the Hilltop for his senior season, earns his first NE10 All-Conference accolade and joins Larsen, Slattery, and Yannone as a First Team pick. Since joining the squad, Davis has made an immediate impact, contributing a team-high 27 goals along with 18 assists for a team-leading 45 points, a figure that ranks him 10th in the NE10. He has also scooped up 18 ground balls, recorded three caused turnovers, and notched one game-winner. The attacker has started in all 12 contests this season for the Hawks and has recorded at least two points in every game.
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Noah Larsen, an All-Conference First Team selection a season ago, adds Second Team honors to his list of accolades across his four years on the Hilltop. The Northborough native has scored 19 goals and dished out eight assists for 27 points after starting in 10 games this season. The attacker has the third-most goals and is tied for the third-most points on the team. He has collected 22 ground balls and is credited with four caused turnovers while posting a 58.9 on-goal shooting percentage. On Apr. 13 at Assumption University, Larsen scored a career-high five goals along with an assist for six points.
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Andrews, now a four-year NE10 All-Conference recipient, has been a steady force in the midfield for Saint Anselm. Starting in all 12 games this season, the fifth-year senior has earned 14 points from 13 goals along with an assist. He has produced career-highs in ground balls (25) and caused turnovers (five) and also leads the team in man-advantage scores with three. Andrews notched a season-high three goals on Mar. 25 at the College of Saint Rose and recently scooped up a career-high six ground balls at Adelphi on Apr. 20.
Holland earns his first-ever NE10 All-Conference honor after being selected to the All-Conference Second Team. He has been a key contributor to a solid Saint Anselm defense this season that is tied for the third-fewest goals allowed in all of NCAA Division II and is also 12th in the nation in scoring defense. Holland has collected 22 ground balls and caused 13 turnovers (tied for second-most on the team). The Derry native is on an eight-game streak of picking up at least one ground ball since Mar. 25 at Saint Rose.
Claflin, an NE10 All-Rookie Team selection in 2023, receives NE10 Third Team recognition for his performance this season. The sophomore midfielder has 27 points on the year with 18 goals and nine assists, all of which mark new career-highs. Claflin also produced 10 ground balls for the Hawks and recorded his first collegiate caused turnover on Apr. 9 at American Int'l to go along with a pair of scores and two assists for four points. The Newton native has registered three hat tricks this season and ranks fourth on the squad with his 18 scores.
Goodchild joins Claflin on the NE10 Third Team and collects his second All-Conference selection as a Hawk as well. The short-stick defensive midfielder has snagged 10 ground balls and caused four turnovers. The sophomore produced his first collegiate assist on Apr. 2 to help defeat crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire University, 14-6, on the road.
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Klepacki earns All-Rookie Team recognition thanks to an impressive rookie year for Saint Anselm. The first-year defender has started in 11 of the 12 games this season, recording nine ground balls and 13 caused turnovers. Klepacki caused his first collegiate turnover on Mar. 1 at Bentley University and later scooped up his first pair of collegiate ground balls on Mar. 15 at Saint Rose.
Saint Anselm is back in action on Wednesday, May 1st when they host Pace University in the NE10 Championship Semifinals at 4:00 p.m. from Grappone Stadium. Admission is $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for children and seniors, and free for students with a valid student I.D. from an NE10 institution.
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